


If You Could Fix the Past, Would You Still Like the Future?

by Crab_Lad



Series: Crab's need for clone wars content [6]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Rex is tired and wants to save his vode, Slow Burn, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, listen, no beta we die like men, talking about feelings, this idea hit me and i couldn't let it go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23106616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crab_Lad/pseuds/Crab_Lad
Summary: Events lead to Rex being thrust back into the past, long before he had lost everything. Now, he's working hard to keep it all together.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & Clone Troopers, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Crab's need for clone wars content [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662106
Comments: 80
Kudos: 654





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to a multichapter clone wars fic i do intend on finishing.  
> blease, if there are any errors feel free to point them out I wrote this and then posted it.

The silence was disturbing. It wasn’t complete silence, but the simple hum of a generator. Rex had gotten so used to falling asleep to the sound of the booming, scraping, scratching legs of the walker. It had soothed him on his nightmare fueled nights, drove him crazy the others when he couldn’t tell what was real or not, what time period he was in and whether the war was over or not. Others, it was a calming hum in the background as he and Wolffe sat together living their life in solitude. 

Speaking of his _vod,_ “Wollfe?”

Silence. Huh. Usually they were so in-tune with each other that they woke to the sound of each other's voice (which he ignored the fact that something about his voice sounded _wrong_ ). Years of nightmares did that to a person. Rarely did he sleep through the slightest noise.

( _The thing was calling out to him, pulling him closer. The blue light seemed to glow in greeting, happy warm. It wanted him to touch it, to let it help. It could help. Everything would be better.)_

Startled, Rex’s eyes flew open at the small glimpse of- a dream? No, too real to be a dream. A memory? 

( _He reached out, ignoring the sounds of protest around him, it held promise. It could fix all that had gone wrong. As if in a trance he took a step towards it, shrugging off the hands trying to stop him.It sung, the noise all around him as he finally touched it.)_

Finally, he turned his gaze to look out into the room as he sat up, dread trickling in and causing him to freeze up. He stared into the lifeless visor of his phase one helmet, missing all his modifications from phase two. The Jaig Eyes stared back at him, empty, threatening. The rest of his room resembled captain’s or commander’s quarters. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Rex grabbed the top half of his blacks that had been haphazardly thrown on the back of a chair, and threw it on before moving over to his armor. He just… stood there. Gazing down at it, his mind moving way too fast for him to fully process. This all had to be an elaborate joke, it was too detailed, too realistic to be a dream, and he couldn’t have possibly… traveled back in time. 

Nope, no, he had seen a lot of crazy, weird, wild shit in his day. But there was no way that was possible. This was a trick. The Empire wasn’t done with him, they wanted him for something and they decided to fool him into thinking he was back in the clone wars. That had to be it- 

“Finally, I was wondering when you were going to wake up,” a voice, familiar in so many ways, the small hint of Coruscanti accent that had been picked up and only strengthened throughout the war. 

Holding back a sob, Rex turned to face a smiling Cody who looked… open, easy, a half smile on his face and those warm eyes looking back. Unable to stop himself, Rex strode over and pulled his brother into his arms, burying his face into the other’s neck and shook. Without hesitation, Cody’s arms wrapped around him as well, still so used to the easy comfort they had. He rubbed a hand along Rex’s back soothingly. 

Cody murmured softly in Rex’s ear, all spoken in Mando’a, _“It’s alright, just a dream. You’re safe. I’m here.”_

Once more, swallowing around the knot in his throat that threatened to release a scream, a cry, a plea, _something_ , he gripped tighter. He wouldn’t let his tears fall. Those long years with Wollfe and Gregor… he loved all of his brothers, but he had missed Cody so much. Cody had been a rock in the mess that was the war and then he had lost his brother to the chip. The Empire had taken the Commander he had known and whisked him off far away. Rex never dared trying to save Cody but he always regretted it. Regretted being a coward and not _trying_. 

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there holding each other, yet he was so thankful that Cody didn’t ask questions, passing it off as a dream. There was no way anyone would believe him. If he told the truth that is. But, after a while, Rex pulled back, rubbing at his eyes and smiling at his _vod_. 

“So. Are we needed for anything?” 

He kept the question vague, not wanting to call attention to the fact he had no idea where they were. Or, what they were doing. 

Cody slipped right back to business, clasping his hands behind his back in a mimic, subconscious, of General Kenobi. “Yes,” he responded, “We’re supposed to report to the briefing room at 0900.” Cody gave Rex a wry smile, “We’re supposed to be briefed on whatever foolish plan they have before we move out.” 

Sighing, Rex walked back over to his armour, once more words lodged in his throat so he just nodded. Then, once Cody left, he dropped his head into his hands, cursing. This… was not going to be easy. 

\-----

They were on Christophsis. Karking _hells,_ Christophsis meant Slick, which meant Commander Tano, then the hunt for the huttlet and losing all but 6 of Torrent. That wouldn’t happen this time. He wasn’t losing his men. Not again. 

The briefing had… been rough. Not only had he bit back rage against Admiral Yularen (the kriffing traitor, believed whatever the Emperor had told him. Didn’t he trust the Jedi? After everything?) held back the urge to wrap his General in his arms and weep. He almost asked for Ashoka but realized Ana- General Skywalker wouldn’t have met her yet. Soon. He would see his little sister soon. Then… Kenobi. Rex had caught the copper haired General looking at him with a weird look several times during the meeting. Whenever he had been caught, Kenobi would just frown and then look away, speak as if he hadn’t just been watching his former padawan’s captain. Cody had been a steady presence at his side, and Rex desperately hoped this really wasn’t a dream. With his knowledge of what happened, he could fix it. He didn’t know how, but he would figure it out. The Republic wouldn’t fall this time around, he was sure of it. 

The next hour was a whir of action and movement, organizing squads and troops and heading towards the two towers they were supposed to be in. But in the chaos, he had forgotten to track down Slick. There was nothing stopping him from comming the enemy. And what was Rex supposed to do? He had no evidence, yet, not really. Memories from the future (which was a nuts idea in the first place) didn’t count. Rex purposely distanced himself from the sergeant. Punching him wouldn’t do any good either. The waiting was what he hated but he couldn’t do anything. He was stuck, and it frustrated him to the point where other troopers were giving him concerned looks. 

\---

The towers were a mess. They had stood quietly, and when the south tower lit up with blaster fire Rex clenched his jaw so hard he thought he was going to break a tooth. 

General Skywalker’s commlink beeped, and brows furrowed in confusion and frustration his General bit out, “Obi-Wan what’s going on?” 

A tinny voice replied, blasters firing in the back, “We’re cut off-” 

Rex tuned it out, knowing what the two were talking about. His memory was fantastic thanks to the Kaminoans he remembered each and every battle he was in, but not down to the small details. He did know what was going to happen next. Before Skywalker could say anything, Rex signaled the troopers behind him to shoot the cables. The window was slashed open by Skywalker’s lightsaber and the cables were fired. Rex tried to pay no mind when his brother, a shiny he didn’t know well, got shot and freefalled to the ground. He could mourn him again later. 

The south tower was crawling with droids when they got there, and the small squad Kenobi had with him… seemed fuller than the first time around. He remembered vividly the many troopers who had fallen to Slick’s betrayal. Maybe it was due to his anger- the exaggerated number. There was no quip between the two as they moved towards each other, covering where the other was weak. It was inspiring seeing the two great generals fight side by side again. The battle whirled on in a blur. He lost track of anything but firing, protecting, and surviving until he was met with Cody by his side. 

“Well this is a pile of _osik_ ,” Cody growled out beside him, his DC-15s smoking from the rapid fire shooting. He was crouched low beside Rex, both behind the safety of their temporary shield. Cody cursed again, “What the kriff does he think he’s doing!”

Holding back a snort, Rex flashed a look at Cody before looking back at the battle. He took two more droids down. Both Skywalker and Kenobi had taken point, rushing right into the thick of things.

"I don't know, Codes, he's as self-sacrificing as Skywalker and I never know what goes through his head."

He grinned when he practically heard Cody's eyeroll. Moving back with his brother seamlessly to fire upon the droids just now reaching the roof. It was easy to lose himself in the battle, to imagine this was the first time and he wasn't holding knowledge of the future. Adrenaline burned in his blood. His body still held the muscle memory he needed. And the cheers when the gunship arrived lifted his spirits even more, making him whoop along with his men. The generals filtered in, their brilliant blades sweeping through the air casting the ship in blue light. 

\----

"-for the Jedi to get back-" 

Rex didn't let him finish his sentence, drawing back and shoving all his anger into the punch he landed right to the side of Slick's head. His chest heaved, and he grit his teeth. Slicks' head whipped backwards as he crumpled to the ground unconscious. Hands gripped him and pulled him back, Slick's men dropping to check on their CO. 

"Rex what the hell!" 

"He's the traitor. How else would he have known the Jedi were gone," Rex growled out. He felt small satisfaction knowing he could stop Slick from the chaos he would create later. 

The room went still, and the troopers on the ground took a step back. No one did anything but breathe. Chopper glanced between his Sergent and Rex before turning to the captain. 

"Sir, are you sure?"

"I'm kriffing positive. He was being dodgy, determined to speak to you all alone. He knew the Jedi were gone! Yes I'm sure!" Rex couldn’t help but keep the growl out of his throat. 

“Alright. Alright. We’ll lock him up for now, talk to him later.”

\---

"General Kenobi seems… tense," Cody murmured the moment they were alone, Slick locked up and ranting about freedom. 

The Jedi weren’t the ones who had enslaved them and the _vode_. It had been the Chancellor, the Sith, the Empire. He had watched as his brothers were stripped away replaced by numbers. If only Slick lived long enough to see that.

Glancing back at his brother, Rex picked his words carefully, "He's probably worried about the traitor, _vod_."

"It's- it's more than that. It's been even before that." 

"The war makes everyone tense."

"Yes but not like this!" 

Eyebrows raised, Rex fixed a look at Cody, frowning. Cody sighed, eyes falling shut for a moment before opening again. 

"He's seemed distant since this morning. Hasn't talked much and I… I swear he almost looked terrified when he saw me. And Skywalker."

Well that was, odd. This wasn't a conversation he remembered having the first time around but then again, they didn’t have time to just sit here and wait before. 

"He might just be tired, you've certainly complained many times about his lack of care," Rex mused, keeping his voice steady and low as to not set Cody off again.

With a nod, Cody knocked his shoulder against Rex's, "You're right, _vod_.” 

They both lapsed into silence, comfortable to just be in the presence of each other. Rex let his eyes flutter shut, resting his back against Cody’s arm, his brother a steady presence behind him. He didn’t hate his life on Seelos with Wolffe. He would miss that Wolffe. Miss the Ghost Crew and those he had known then. Yet there was nothing he could do but right the wrongs of the past. He wouldn’t fail his family, his _vode_ again. Not this time. 

\---

“Sir,” Rex began, curling his smile into a teasing one, “I thought you said you’d never have a Padawan?” 

That earned him a glare and a half muttered excuse about a mix up, to which Rex bit back a laugh. But, kriff was he happy to see Ahsoka here. Not only that but she was so… small. So young. Too young for the battlefield but he knew her. She was more than qualified. She had that bright spark in her blue eyes that promised trouble, the spark of the 501st in her even from the start, and the wit to keep up with Skywalker. 

“You’re stuck with me, Skyguy,” Ashoka said, that pure look of someone far too pleased with themself. 

Rex couldn’t hold it back, he let out the laugh that had been building up, pushing past the General. His heart felt lighter than it had in years. He missed Ahsoka so much, hadn’t seen her since- well. Last he heard she had gone down in a fight against Vader. But she was here and safe.

“Let’s go little Commander, I’ll show you around,” he offered, grinning back at his scowling General. 

Grumbling, Ahsoka protested, “I am not little!” 

“Sure, sure, and I’m a Twi’lek.” 

She huffed, but fell into step beside him quietly taking in everything around her. Rex recognized the awed look on her face that often came with shinies. Amazed at the sheer size and power of everything, pain at the crumbled buildings and world around them. The teal ground of Christophsis sparkled around them in the sun as they passed by the heavy cannons. 

“So if… you’re a captain, and I’m a Jedi… then, technically I outrank you, right?” 

Ah Ahsoka, his little sister who was so innocent and grew to be such a strong young woman. From any other the question would come off as anything but curious. She was interested, genuinely curious and excited to learn and grow. 

He gave her a soft, fond smile when he responded, “In my book, experience outranks everything.” 

She grinned, happy to not be dismissed, “Well. I better get some experience then.” 

“Good luck, kid. With Skywalker around, you’ll be wishing you got as little experience as you could.” 

Their moment was interrupted by the red expanding wall of the separatists shield and they rushed off to meet with the Generals. He watched her, amused, as she desperately tried to get access to the table. Rex took pity, stepping to the side a little to give her some room. She shot him a grateful smile in response, quickly turning to say something to the two Generals. When he glanced back over, he noticed Skywalker responding but Kenobi- 

Once again Kenobi’s eyes were on him, confusion clear on his features before he seemed to shake it off, answering Skywalker’s comment. Rex straightened, back to standing at attention and responding when he heard his name. Soon the meeting wrapped up with Skywalker, and he turned to see Kenobi smiling. 

“They make a good pair.”

“They certainly do. Now, let’s prepare Captain, we have an army approaching.” 

\---

Rex leaned his weight onto the support Cody gave him. Both Christophsis and Teth had been a blood bath (though not as bad as Umbara), and there was little he was able to do to save more than one. Ridge, he had managed to save Ridge this time. Pain radiated from his shoulder, his neck sore from being force choked and he had one hell of a headache from someone forcing their way into his mind. He had fought, better than last time, but Ventress… she still got in. 

“ _You’re alright, vod,”_ Cody mumbled in Mando’a, his helmet hanging in his other hand. 

Rex only nodded, letting his brother shuffle him into the med bay where both Corran and Apollo were. Rex missed Kix, but knew with this new batch coming in after these battles, he would get to see his brother again. Kix, Jesse, Hardcase… they would all come on this next batch. Young and ready. 

“Are the Generals okay?” Rex found himself asking Cody. Apollo remained quiet at his side, wrapping his shoulder in bandages. 

Cody nodded, arms clasped behind his back, “The mission was successful. General Kenobi is in his quarters now, Skywalker should be coming back soon.” 

Nodding, Rex laid back against the bed, letting the medic care for his injuries. Before long, he fell asleep. His mind was thankfully quiet as he dozed, finally the adrenaline from the past two days wearing off. It hadn’t even been a full 4 hours before he was woken by the presence of someone at his side. 

Even years after the war, Rex learned to sleep light. 

“Rex, you’re awake.” 

He was met with the sight of a disgruntled Kenobi, who looked as tired as he himself felt, but looked as though he was making no move to fix that. Rex sat up, letting the blanket pool around himself. 

“General Kenobi, sir,” He greeted, reaching to put on his armour. 

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, sir.” 

Finally, he slid his helmet on turning to face Kenobi. There was that strange, undecipherable look again. It was starting to drive Rex crazy, not knowing why Kenobi was looking at him like that, or what it meant. 

“Walk with me, I have something to discuss with you.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

They were silent as they walked through the corridors until, suddenly, Kenobi stopped, turned to Rex and asked, “Does the name Vader mean anything to you?”


	2. We'll figure this out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan? Tired  
> Anakin? Confused  
> Rex? Scared  
> Hotel? Trivago
> 
> Also did i bust this out in a day? yes. Thank you too Writehandman for betaing me(on here!!! please check out his work work)  
> Also blease call me out if theres formating issues i am trying my dang hardest

Ben regretted very few things in life. The few he did regret were failing Qui-gon, failing Anakin and not being fast enough, strong enough to save Satine. Time travelling to the past in a fit of despair and pain… well. That could certainly be added to the list.

The nightmare had woken him. Anakin, one limb remaining, pouring hate, fury, and pure Dark energy into his voice as he screamed at Obi-Wan. The flames of the ocean of lava around them sparking in tandem with it. For once, Obi-Wan felt truly afraid of Anakin. And then he woke up. Panting, too warm- much too warm. Regret heavy in his heart as he stumbled out of bed and to his small collection of artifacts he had saved from the temple.

Now he was here. In the past. Unable to look his men in the eyes without fear, unable to look at Anakin without pain and sadness in his gaze. He hadn’t dared speak to anyone on the council yet, and knew they wouldn’t be able to. Not until Ahsoka-

It was easy to slip into the role of Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, snarky, witty, always with a quip ready to go. But it all felt like he was watching himself go through the motions, not actually there in the present. The battle had gone by in the blink of an eye and Anakin kept sending him worried glances. 

Ben knew the danger of shoving down his emotions, 15 years to look back and reflect taught him that much. However, there wasn’t time. Later. 

He could process everything later. When he could figure out why Rex’s force signature felt different, why the Captain kept looking at him weird, why the Captain seemed… off. 

Well- that was… until he had asked Rex if the name Vader meant anything to him.

He certainly hadn’t expected the other man to burst into hysterical laughter. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. This certainly wasn't how he imagined this going. 

“Am I alright?” Rex let out another harsh laugh, devoid of humor. “Am I alright!? Kenobi this is batshit crazy. There’s no way in all the galaxy you would know who Vader is without time traveling, which kriffing means this is all  _ real and I actually time traveled and what the kriff am I supposed to do now and-”  _

Stepping forward, Ben placed a hand on Rex’s shoulder, sending him feelings of peace, calm, and soothing, in the force. The Captain relaxed under him minutely, his breath coming out in a short huff. Ben was too tired for this, and he certainly wasn’t about to ask how Rex had gotten here. Both artifacts had to be active when one was activated. So- the only explanation was that he had found the other one. 

“We should talk about this somewhere more private,” Ben suggested quietly, letting his shoulders droop and leading the way towards his quarters. 

For a moment, the two were silent as Ben went to brew tea. Rex had dropped himself down onto a chair, already stripping off his helmet. His face was twisted in a frown, deepening the crease lines in his forehead. There were heavy bags under his eyes suggesting that he hadn’t slept much. Maybe not since they arrived two days ago. 

“General-” 

“Be- Obi-Wan… if you please, I find that General sits even less right than it did the first time around.” 

There was a slight twitch of his mouth, like Rex was fighting back a grin, “Obi-Wan, then. What are we supposed to do?” 

He didn’t answer, not right away, taking both cups and placing them on the table before taking the seat across from Rex. He held the cup in his hands, soaking in the smell and feel. Tatooine had tea yes… but it was certainly not the tea he had during the Clone Wars. It was sandy, bitter and left a bad taste in his mouth. It also tended to stink. But this- this was  _ his  _ tea. He had missed it. 

“Obi-Wan?” 

“Sorry,” he muttered, dragging himself out of his reprieve. “Lost in thought. To answer your question, Rex, I don’t know. We know what happens in the future, and we most likely have no way of going back. We can either stay here and let everything play out the same as before or…” 

“Or change them. That’s what I was already planning to do!” 

“Well- I hope you haven’t done too much just yet,” Ben (Obi-Wan, he would have to get used to that again) blinked his eyes open, sipping from his tea. 

Rex’s eyebrows furrowed even more until they practically melded with his eyes, “What do you mean?” 

“Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect? Where one small change could have a detrimental impact on the future?” He received a nod that inspired him to continue, “I fear if we change too much too fast we could do more harm than good. Besides, there are certain things we will want to change but shouldn’t. If we change them, we could be changing the people we know. Their experiences shape them into the people we know and love, if we take those away…”   
  


“We take away the changes they needed.” 

“Preciscely.” 

Shifting in his seat, Rex crossed his arms and scowled, “I don’t like it. I don’t like it because we’ll be picking who lives and who dies.” 

Obi-Wan let out a sigh he had been holding in. He needed someone with him, on his side. Fighting with Rex would make everything so much harder. Reaching up, he rubbed at his head, ruffling his hair. It startled him how soft it was. He had gotten used to seeing more white than red, to the rough dryness that came with the desert planet he had isolated himself on. 

“I know. But we have to be careful. Before we continue, I need to know your side of the story. I haven’t seen you since… you left with Ahsoka for Mandalore. Before the Empire rose.” 

“And last I heard you had been killed, shot off a cliff,” Rex retorted, one eyebrow raised but he still looked unhappy. 

He couldn’t help the flinch at the man’s words, drawing into his cloak. “Yes, well. Cody- the 212th turned on me. I was shot off the cliff and forced into hiding. I’ve been… on Tatooine.” 

“They didn’t turn on you, Obi-Wan,” Rex responded gruffly, sitting forward in his seat, “Do you remember Tup? Fives?” 

How could he? That had been a mess for the Council and the Senate. So, he blinked, “Of course, they had a virus, which corroded their chips. They became aggressive and lashed out because of it.” 

There was a sound that sounded like a curse. Obi-Wan looked up only to be faced with a furious Rex. The Force around him swirled in hate, anger, pain. Guilt. 

“They would never turn of their own free will! Those  _ chips  _ are exactly why the 212th turned on you. They had  _ no choice.  _ They became nothing more than mindless drones to work for the Empire. Wolffe, Gregor, and I all took ours out.” 

That would certainly explain the sharp twist he had felt before the Force was drowned in  _ paindarknessfeardeathdeathdeath.  _ The men hadn’t been themselves. Cody hadn’t been himself when he ordered the shot. Obi-Wan’s eyes fluttered shut again as he took a sip of the cooling tea. He had lived believing Cody, his close friend, had ordered his death despite everything. Despite the trust they had built. A sigh escaped him before he could stop it and he opened his eyes back up to meet Rex’s brown ones. 

“Vader is Anakin.” 

Instantly, the captain tensed, going as still as a rock and Obi-Wan feared he had stopped breathing. His knuckles had gone white as they clenched, harder and harder into the vambrace in their hold. There was a whole cacophony of emotions leaking through his Force signature. 

“It’s hard to look at him. Knowing what he’s done. What he becomes. Rex, he chose it but- Palpatine had poisoned his mind. Led him to believe he was the only one who could help him protect those he loved. That wish led to him trying to kill me. I-” he cut off, closing his eyes to hold back his tears. He had never opened up to anyone about this. “I put him in that suit. I could have ended it, swiftly, painlessly. Instead I stripped him of his limbs and left him there to burn.” 

Rex cursed again, standing up and pacing. He was terrifyingly silent for a while, brewing in his emotions that Obi-Wan couldn’t even begin to pick out. Finally, he stopped and stared down at Obi-Wan, “Okay. Okay. How can I save my general?” 

Obi-Wan gazed up into those determined eyes, and was awed by the fierce loyalty he held for Anakin. He knew the men loved Anakin, knew his own men admired him, but to see it out on display… it was another thing entirely. 

Fixing his face into a grim expression, he leaned back and said, “We stop the Emperor. We stop the chips. We end the war.” 

Barking out a laugh, Rex stepped back his passion from earlier fading, replaced by a tiredness Obi-Wan felt within himself, “Easier said than done.” 

“I’m afraid so.” 

\---

Once Rex left his room Obi-Wan felt all his energy leave him at once. Yet he found the energy to stand, drain the two cups, and rest back down on the chair. There were plenty of datapads and lots of paperwork that needed his attention but he couldn’t- he wouldn’t be able to focus on it. The battle had been rough, not the roughest, but they had lost plenty of good men. Death was constant in the background, each life flickering out in the Force around him. It was something he'd never missed from the war. He sighed for the millionth time that day, slowly dropping to the table to rest his head against it. 

A beep broke the silence, startling him as he bolted up to glare down at his commlink. 

“General Kenobi speaking.” 

“Sir, it’s Cody. I was wondering if I could speak with you?” 

"Of course, Cody.” 

He couldn’t help but smile, thinking about his commander. There was guilt there, sure, from how distant he had been. Obi-Wan swore he had seen a flash of hurt earlier, but his commander was always so good at hiding how he felt. Rex telling him the truth had eased his concerns about Cody and his other men. He wouldn’t let them come to the same fate before. And wouldn’t let the future drive a wedge between the men who cared for him, and the men he cared for in return. 

The door swooshed open and Obi-Wan was graced by the long familiar presence of his trusted commander. It widened his smile, basking in the warmth and care the Force signature brought. He had missed the nights where he lingered in the what if’s, wry smiles, warm eyes that held care and love. It had been easy to fall in love with Cody, harder to stay apart. Obi-Wan had always been the kind of person to put duty before personal interests. It had saved him much pain, yes, but had also cost him more than he would like to admit. He wasn’t planning on missing this second chance.

“Hello, Cody, you wanted to speak to me?” He mustered up his energy, to have his posture show ease and calm, and not the exhaustion he felt. 

But his Commander knew him better, clicking his tongue and staring down at him, arms crossed, disappointed. “Have you gotten any sleep, sir?” 

Obi-Wan waved a hand, using the Force to pull out a chair for Cody. “I’m alright. And I thought I’ve told you before that within the confines of this room, ranks do not exist.” 

There it was, that half smile that always meant Cody was amused but not entirely sure about something. The stress of the day, well, the past two days, poured off Cody as he took the seat Rex had vacated not long before. Obi-Wan was happy to see he had taken off the top part of his armor, a more relaxed approach. So this wasn’t a business meeting. Good. He would rather not be General Kenobi right now. 

“What can I do for you?” 

“I came to check on you. The boys and I were worried because you seemed… not all there, these past few days. Are you sure you’re alright?” 

The concern on Cody’s face brought a fresh wave of guilt to Obi-Wan's heart. How could he believe that Cody would betray him like that? Why had he never thought that maybe it wasn’t his choice? He could see the loyalty, the concern, all throughout Cody’s body language and in the Force around him. 

“Yes. I’m alright. So, my dear friend, it would be a shame to let you go so soon, stay a while won’t you? I have a Dejarik board if you would like to play.”    
  
The further into the war, Cody had gotten more comfortable with Obi-Wan. Yet, this was still early on, early enough that Obi-Wan feared Cody would reject the offer and leave. It would hurt if Cody left. 

The man hesitated, before nodding, getting up and offering to make tea. 

Well, Obi-Wan ended up losing. 

Neither one of them were upset about it. 

\---

It took a week before Obi-Wan was able to see Anakin. It was the last conversation he'd been desperate to have. This time, he wouldn’t lose Anakin. He would discard any and all comments the Council would undoubtedly send his way about attachment. Anakin was his brother, in some ways, and others, was like his son. There was no way in the galaxy he was losing him again.    
  
“Anakin, can I speak to you? Alone please?” 

He was sent a confused glance, but eventually a nod. That was enough, and Obi-Wan strode off to a side room where they could talk together. It seemed to be bunk, but no one was in it at the moment. It would be privacy enough.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and announced, “I’m going to start off with, I know about you and Padme.” 

Frankly, he was beginning to like dropping bombs on people. Their gaping expressions were by far the best part. He watched, amused as his former Padawan spluttered, trying to come up with an excuse but each one falling flat. 

“You’re married to Padme, Anakin. You don’t have to deny it.”

“But- but the Council-!” 

“Won’t find out from me.”    


“ _ What?”  _

Obi-Wan sighed, ran a hand through his hair and gave the Knight a rueful look. “I raised you since you were nine. I’ve been by your side all those years. I was never the perfect Master, but I tried my best to raise you to be a good Jedi, a good man. I firmly believe that you shouldn’t reject the things that make you happy. If Padme makes you happy, you should be with her. You should know there’s nothing you can’t come to me about-” 

“But! You’re the perfect Jedi!” 

There was a bit of contempt in Anakin’s voice when he said that, blue eyes wide and clouded. He looked dangerously close to panicking and running off. Which wouldn’t do either of them good so he needed to keep the conversation on track. If Obi-Wan started on the rant about how he truly wasn’t the ‘perfect Jedi’ and it was all a mask… they would get sidetracked. They didn’t have time to be.

Obi-Wan sighed, again. Maybe this would be his life. One big permanent sigh of exasperation. He cleared his throat and announced what he had been coming up with during the week leading up to this. “Anakin, you are my brother. I love you dearly, but you are not subtle. I’ve had to leap through hoops trying to keep the Council off your back. I haven’t done right by you in the past. I’ve made many mistakes but now I have the chance to right my wrongs and do better by you. You are an exceptional young man and I want you to know I will support you in whatever you choose to do as long as it’s within the realms of the Light. I will try my best to help you if you stray too close to the Dark. You deserve to know you are not alone, and will always have someone to love and support you that isn’t your wife. I’ve spent too long not telling you what you mean to me, showing you I care about you. But I do. I’m on your side through thick or thin and while you’re not perfect, you are a good Jedi. You’re loyal, fierce and brave. I wish the Council would see you the way I do. You have work, yes, you’re reckless, brash, harsh, at times a little too intense, but you’re caring and kind. Please know I am not your enemy, I am, and forever will be, here for you.” 

When he looked over, Anakin looked dangerously close to tears. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide. His face was slack with shock, and once again, Obi-Wan feared he had caused someone to stop breathing. 

“Before you ask me ‘Master, where is this all coming from,’ It’s coming from the fact that this war is taking a lot from us. I refuse to let it take away those I care about too.” 

That was when he was pulled into a hug, one flesh, one metal arm coming to tug him tight against a large chest. He let out a puff of air, but sunk into the hug. Pointedly, he ignored the small sniffles coming from Anakin, rubbing a hand along the middle of his back. It felt… nice and it hurt that Obi-Wan couldn’t remember the last time he had hugged Anakin. As if sensing that thought, Anakin pulled him impossibly closer, tucking him against his shoulder. It was warm, happy and oh so caring. Obi-Wan vowed that he would try to change the Council, and if they didn’t, once he stopped the war he would take Anakin, take Ahsoka and leave. 

“Thank you-Master, thank you,” Anakin breathed, so softly that Obi-Wan figured he wasn’t supposed to hear it. 

Regardless, he tightened his own hold on Anakin, murmuring back, “No need to thank me. You’re important and I won’t lose you.” 

The Force sung in acceptance, pleased and happy. Lighter than he had ever felt in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternately titled: Obi-Wan lives in a constant state of 'I'm about to end this man's whole career" and "i'm so tired why won't the universe let me rest"


	3. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world shook with a loud boom, rattling the surrounding environment. Rex's ears rang with the commotion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO I HAD A LOT MORE PLANNED FOR THIS CHAPTER but i got excited so i'm splitting it into two chapters. Thank you for being patient in between updates!
> 
> Also thank you to RobinPlaysTrumpet15 for betaing as well as CorranBlue (both here on ao3)

“CT-6116 and CT-5597 reporting for duty, sir!” 

The two troopers stood at attention in front of him. Rex couldn’t hold back a smile, they were finally here. Soon, the rest would arrive. 

“You two got names, shinies?” Rex fought to keep the overwhelming emotion out of his voice.

The two looked at each other before looking back at him. He knew that they weren’t used to being asked for their names. Back on Kamino, names had been sacred, only spoken to those you trusted. 

“Kix, sir,” Kix answered, standing straighter, “This is Jesse.” 

“Think I can speak for myself, _vod_ ,” Jesse snarked back, shoving at Kix’s shoulder. 

Rex fought back a grin at the two bickering, cutting them off with a shout, “Hardcase!” 

Within a moment, the trooper was at Rex’s side, a lazy grin on his face. Hardcase hadn’t even been on the ship for an hour but he had already made himself at home. 

“Yeah, Captain Rex?” 

Jesse and Kix both quieted. Rex motioned for all three of them to follow him. They fell into step behind him, quietly talking amongst themselves in Mando’a before Rex spoke up.

“Welcome to the 501st, boys. The rules are pretty relaxed around here. General Skywalker isn’t like most of the Jedi you will meet. We also tend to be paired with the 212th. Whatever you do, do not let the General see you doing something against regs. They know it happens but if they see it it’s a different story. I’m assigning you three to Delta Squad. Sergeant Coric is in charge of your squad. Lieutenant Stavro is in charge of your platoon. If you need anything, I’m the one to come to.” 

It was the usual speech to shinies. But these were his _vode._ His closest _vode._ So he stopped in front of their barracks, turning around to face them. 

“Remember, you’re 501st _vode_ now. Although I am Captain in the field, off duty I am your brother. We’re here for each other, _vode an,_ right?”

Hardcase beamed, Jesse smirked, and Kix just nodded, “ _Vode an_ ,” he replied. “Thank you, C- Rex.” 

They hadn’t quite warmed up to him yet, they couldn’t have. There was none of that easy comradery between them. That would come with time. And maybe, just maybe, if he pulled this off, they would have more time to spend together. 

He wasn’t going to fail them this time.

\---

“What are we going to do about the chips?” 

Obi-Wan hummed, hand reaching up to stroke his beard. The wrinkles in his forehead deepened, intensifying. 

“I’m not sure, Rex. We can’t do too much digging into them without someone noticing. Specifically the Chancellor. We can’t let him know we know too much. That would sabotage everything we’re trying to accomplish.” 

There was a thickness to his voice that he seemed to be holding back, a little hint of bitterness and anger.

“Right,” Rex responded, dragging out the vowels. 

“It’s just- it’s disgraceful,” ah there it was, the anger, “It’s honestly horrifying how the Kaminoans treated you all and for them to be complicit in putting this, this _thing,_ in your head that takes away free will-” Obi-Wan cut himself off. “Sorry. I shouldn’t get angry.” 

“Oh no,” Rex interjected, “you should. You care about your men right? You’re not mad at them for what happened, instead you’re upset for how violated we- they were or will be.” 

His anger was justified. He had always advocated to all the clones that they were individuals, important and unique. Yes, they were clones, but they were more than that. Not everyone accepted this mindset, still seeing themselves as nothing more than clones. But Obi-Wan had always remained steadfast in his belief. His conviction was something Rex admired about Obi-Wan. 

Skywalker cared about them as individuals, yes, but he didn’t show it the same way Obi-Wan did. In fact, Rex couldn’t remember a time when Obi-Wan had called any of them a clone whereas Skywalker used the term liberally. Skywalker considered them friends, but Obi-Wan had actively fought to improve their lives.

Obi-Wan nodded but swallowed back his anger. Rex could see it, simmering below the surface, yet he figured it would be best to move on, “How has Anakin seemed, on your end?” 

That took a moment. To be fair, Rex hadn’t really been paying much attention to his General’s moods. He’d been focused on his brothers. 

“I haven’t- he seems happy.” 

“Good. Good. Well, I’ll comm you at the same time next week. If anything comes up in the meantime, contact me. Alright?”

“Sure,” Rex answered, leaning back in his chair. “I will. Rex out.” 

Rex ended the comm. They hadn’t discussed much in this week’s conversation, mainly what to do from here. They decided that in terms of major events there was nothing that could be changed coming up but- 

There was. Not to Obi-Wan at least. Cody was dropping by the _Resolute_ that night to prepare for inspections tomorrow. Then they would go to Rishi. 

He was right, but Rex really didn’t want the damn chip in longer than it had to be. If it were up to him, Rex would have gotten the chips out of everyone. He would have removed his own immediately. Then again, that’s why he had Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was the strategist, he would be able to help them figure out what to do and where to go from here. 

\---

“ _Vod,_ ” Cody snapped, cutting a sharp glare Rex’s way. 

This was the third inspection Rex had rushed in order to get to Rishi, and Cody had been frustrated, but put up with it until now. The poor _vod_ in front of them gave them both a weary look before slinking off back to his sergeant. 

“We’re going to talk about this later,” Cody scolded, leading them both back to their ship.

Rex clambered into his seat, shoving his helmet on while Cody reported to Kenobi. 

Talk about what? These stations were fine. They all passed with flying colors before, why wouldn’t they no-

Cody didn’t know that. Right. It was easy to forget the others around him didn’t have the same knowledge he did.

 _Kriff_. 

“The tracking station in Pastil is fully operational,” he heard Cody report, “Captain Rex and I are proceeding to the outpost in the Rishi system.” 

Oh, oh _Force._ It was already time. Force, Kriff, could he do this? Could he save Hevy? 

“Rex?” 

Rex blinked, glancing up at Cody. 

The annoyance that had sat on his _ori’vod’s_ face earlier had shifted into concern. To an outsider Rex’s behavior would seem strange. Frantic, snappy, and rushed. He wasn’t taking the proper care he was known for as a Captain. 

“Rex are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he deflected. Now was not the time to sit around and talk, they needed to get to Rishi, _now._

A huff, then, “No you’re not-”

“Cody let’s just get to Rishi and then we can talk. Alright?”

Cody grumbled but climbed into his own seat. 

\---

“Rishi outpost, this is Commander Cody. Do you copy?”

Even as Cody announced their approach, Rex felt the dread begin to filter in. 

“Rishi outpost, please respond,” the commander tried again.

An empty pit seemed to open in his stomach. He couldn't help the sinking feeling it brought, or the stream of “what if”s that ran through his mind. What if- what if he still had been too late? What if he couldn’t save them? What if-

“Rishi outpost, come in!” 

“Sorry commander-” The distorted, unconventional voice of a _vod_ filtered in through the comlink. When the droid appeared on the screen wearing a bucket, something so much like rage reared its ugly head. That stupid clanker had no _right_ to wear a brother’s helmet.

“-we’re experiencing technical, uh difficulties.” 

Technical difficulties his _shebs._

“This is the inspection team,” Cody said, leaning to see the screen in front of Rex. 

“Inspection team? Negative, negative. Everything is fine here.” 

“We’ll be the judge of that.” 

“Roger, Ro-”

Fury spiked, angry fire roaring through his chest. Rex slammed his hand down on the button that cut off the comms.

“Rex!” Cody hissed. Rex honestly couldn’t care. He wanted to be on that base, taking out those droids before they could do anything.

Reaching for his helmet, his mouth moved faster than his brain as he stumbled over his words, “We need to land away from the base. Trust me on this, something isn’t right.”

Cody still wasn’t pleased, but he slid his own bucket on. “Fine,” he conceded, “but you’re in charge of this one.” 

Rex smiled grimly, taking control of the steering, “Fine by me.” 

He plunged them into the atmosphere of the planet, headed towards where he knew the others had come out last time.

\---

“Wow, nice shot,” Rex heard a familiar voice mutter behind him as he stepped up to the worm he had just killed. 

He and Cody had arrived just in time to see the remainder of Domino Squad drop out of the grate. He had managed to aim a shot at the eel, right for its eye, and killed it. Just like last time. He paused, running his hand through the blood oozing from the eel’s eye, just as he had done before. 

“The name’s Rex,” he said to them as casually as he could manage, “but you can call me Captain or sir.”

He and Cody had left their ship a while back, mainly so the droids would be confused. Rex hadn’t spoken about the situation until they left the ship. At first, Cody hadn’t wanted to believe Rex’s ‘suspicions’ about the droids taking over. Yet when they saw the troopers leaving, Cody had given him a grave look.

“Look at this, Commander,” Rex grinned at his _vod,_ letting the scene play out just as it had the first time. “We got a bunch of shinies on our hands.” 

“Shinies? Sir?” 

He recognized that crisp accent, Echo. The sound of the man’s voice eased his concerns, if only by a little bit. Rex walked up to Echo and pressed his hand against his chest plate, leaving the bloody, blue-black handprint behind on plastoid-alloy armor.

“You’re shiny and new, like your armor.” 

\---

“As long as those clankers hold this base, our home planet of Kamino is in danger,” Rex warned, rounding on them. 

Cody had remained mostly silent during the whole trip up to the base, only adding in small comments here or there. Surprisingly, it had been Cody to ask for their names first. Usually Rex did it before he did. 

“But there’s so many of them-” Echo argued, accepting the blaster Rex handed them.

“We’ve got a captain and a commander by our side, Echo,” the 4th one said. That had to be Cutup. Fives and Echo had talked about their batchers briefly, but enough that Rex knew their names. It was a bit different, hearing a foreign accent in a _vod’s_ voice. 

Rex straightened his posture, trying to be reassuring yet commanding, “We will take back this base, rookies. Don’t doubt that.”

“Yeah?” Cody finally cut in, amusement lacing through his voice, “And you have a plan to get in, Rex, I assume?” 

Grinning like a shark, Rex glanced over at a fallen commando droid. “Oh you bet I do,” he promised, reaching over and yanking the head off. “Just follow my lead.” 

He threw himself up onto the platform, droid head in hand, and made sure to walk up to the outside camera stiffly, awkwardly. The others fanned out to the sides, out of sight. They remained quiet even as he earned the attention of the droids on the inside. 

“Unit 2-6, is that you?” came the lifeless request. Just the sound of the droid spiked anger in him, but he had gotten used to shoving it down for the mission, processing later. In a healthy way of course, he was a responsible person. 

Rex responded with a sneer, but kept his tone flat, “Roger, roger.” 

“You sound strange. Is something wrong with your vocabulator?” 

“Roger, roger,” he bit out again, warbling his voice even more. 

The droids seemed to be buying it, but they did ask, “Take off your helmet. Let me see your face plate.” 

He responded again, squatting down out of the camera to lift the droid’s head he carried. Just as they had before, the droids accepted it, letting the doors slide open. As soon as they noticed them, Rex reigned down blaster fire onto them covered by the other five behind them. He lost himself in the battle, dodging, rolling, shooting. They managed to clear the room in a matter of seconds.

While Cutup, Hevy, and Echo commented around them, Rex walked up to the control panel with Cody. 

“Get to the window,” Cody barked, already heading towards it. Rex hung back, knowing what they’d see. 

The rookies all rushed, eager to follow and listen. They stood at attention, taking in the sight of the separatist fleet ahead of them. While there, Rex hung back attempting to reconfigure the all clear signal. But the droids had really done a number on it, and they simply didn’t have the time to fix it.

“We can’t get a message out to the fleet, the signal will take some time to fix. Time we don’t have,” Rex announced, looking up at the group. They turned to face him, equal parts confused and scared. “That’s why we need to destroy the station.”

“But sir, our mission-”

“Yes. You were stationed here to protect the base, but there’s an invasion on the way. The only way we can warn the Republic of the invasion is by destroying the base.” 

Rex’s jaw clenched when he stopped speaking. This is where things had gone wrong before. Hevy had stayed behind because of a faulty datapad. 

Cutup and Fives seemed to reach the same conclusion, but it was Fives who spoke up, “If we destroy the station, that cuts off the all-clear signal.” 

“Right, exactly. They stop receiving the signal-” Cutup continued, a slow grin spreading on his face.

Rex finished, stepping forward, “They’ll know something’s wrong. Now what do you have that we can use to blow the station?” 

“There’s thermal detonators,” Cutup interjected. 

Just like last time, those wouldn’t be enough to destroy the whole base. Which meant-

“We could use the LT!” 

Rex felt that dread from earlier curl back around his heart. No. Not again. 

“Good idea. It’s highly explosive,” Cody cut in, impressed, before Rex could deny it. “Echo, you and Cutup bring the tank here and prime the detonators. The rest of us are going to go find what we can in the armory.” 

All too soon the droids were storming the front door. Rex hovered anxiously around Echo and Cutup while they attempted to get the detonator to connect. Still it failed, despite all their attempts to fix it. The others fell back into the room, and with that Rex made up his mind. Pushing aside the two rookies, he took the datapad and attempted to connect it himself. 

“Is everything alright?” 

“It’s not connecting to the detonator,” responded Rex, frustrated. He resisted the urge to slam the datapad into the ground, turning to look up at Cody. “You all go. I’ll stay here until it’s fixed.”

"Rex-"

“Captain-” 

Cutup cleared his throat, apologizing for cutting Cody off, “Captain, sir, I can stay behind and fix it. You’re needed with them.” 

“I’ll stay with him,” Hevy interrupted, stepping forward and hoisting his blaster up. “We’ll meet you out there.” 

It was too similar to last time, he wasn’t going to let them sacrifice themselves. He wasn’t going to lose another one. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he barely fought as Cody pushed him over and out through the vent.

Then the blaster shots grew louder even as they got further away. At the last moment, Rex turned, slipping back through the vents to get back to the op center. In the vent, he managed to barely catch an injured Hevy who had been shoved into the vent. Quick as he could, Rex began pulling Hevy through the vent out to safety. Once Hevy’s feet were on solid ground, and his brothers were swarming him concerned, Rex turned back to go back for Cutup. 

But then-

The world shook with a loud boom, rattling the surrounding environment. Rex's ears rang with the commotion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a new tumblr! Crablad is my writing tumblr feel free to scream at me there!
> 
> FUNFACT did you know hardcase is in season 2??? either im a dumbass or people don't realize he's in season 2


	4. Processing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In all honesty, Ben (Obi-Wan, he had to remember he was Obi-Wan again) hadn’t fully processed the fact of the matter. He had been there for two weeks but it- it all seemed distant, detached. Almost like a dream he couldn’t wake up from. But then Anakin had looked at him, patted him on the shoulder and had said, “Good job, Master.” 
> 
> And then it all hit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to whollyjoly and treetart for betaing this!

In all honesty, Ben (Obi-Wan, he had to remember he was Obi-Wan again) hadn’t fully processed the fact of the matter. He had been there for two weeks but it- it all seemed distant, detached. Almost like a dream he couldn’t wake up from. But then Anakin had looked at him, patted him on the shoulder and had said, “Good job, Master.” 

And then it all hit. 

He barely managed to get back to the safety of his quarters before he broke down into tears. Oh, Force, he really wasn’t still on Tatooine. He had a second chance to fix the wrongs of his past. Young Luke would never be confined to Tatooine with his uncle and aunt, two people who desperately tried to keep his past from him. Obi-Wan could make sure Anakin didn’t lose himself to Darth Vader. He could _save Padme from dying, save the twins from being split up-_ And, oh kriff, he wasn’t alone anymore. He wasn’t shunned, the Force was so full and bright, and he could feel all the tens of thousands of the Jedi once again. 

It was almost overwhelming to the point where he shut down most of his connection to the Force. It was too much input, so much _noise_ that it made his ears ring and his skin itch. Too much for him to handle as he tried to sift through his own thoughts. His shields had deteriorated so much during his isolation it would take time to rebuild. 

So he did. He rebuilt his shields, staying within the confines of his room until it was bearable to stretch his awareness across the ship. It no longer felt overwhelming, it was welcoming to feel the steady presences his men had. Once, long ago for him, he would have been able to pick his commander out almost immediately from the mass. But now it took a little more time, a little more focus and concentration. Eventually he found him in his own room, along with Boil, Waxer (And _wow_ wasn’t that a shock) and their medic, Apollo. 

Slowly, he pulled back into himself, letting out a steadying breath as he focused on the here and now. He centered himself back inside the room, inside his own mind honing in on rebuilding the shields.

Anakin was back, and despite the guilt and pain Ben felt for what had transpired between them, for putting him in the suit, he wasn’t going to fail again. This Anakin hadn’t fallen yet. There was still time. Palpatine was still in power but hadn’t gotten rid of Dooku yet. There was still time to change things for the better.

He wasn’t alone either, that much was a relief. There were many things neither of them would be able to change, many neither _should_ change, that much was clear. But maybe, he could change his role in all of it. Maybe he wouldn’t have to lose everyone he held dear again. 

And Ahsoka, he wouldn’t fail Ashoka this time either. He wouldn’t fail Cody, Rex, Anakin, Padme, and most importantly the whole Galaxy. He understood that his failure with Anakin had brought upon the end of the Republic, he failed to help Anakin get the support he needed, he hadn’t _been there_ for Anakin. Because he had let the Council blind him before. They lead him to believe that attachments were harmful. Losing his attachments had been the hardest moments of Obi-Wan’s life. He had tried so hard to be the perfect Jedi to not fail Qui-Gon, to raise Anakin right, but it had failed. 

He finally let out all he had been holding in, the pain and fear and anger, the hate, the loss, from so many years, and released it all into the Force. He had the feelings, processed them, but now. Now it was time to continue on. Standing up tall, he raised his chin, and walked out. They would succeed. Or Obi-Wan would die trying. 

\---

“You’re cheating,” his brilliant Commander accused, throwing his Sabacc cards down on the table in frustration. 

Obi-Wan held back a chuckle, calmly placing down his own hand. He reached over and lifted his glass of whiskey to his lips, taking a small sip before responding, “Me? I would never!” 

A gloved finger pointed at him, those brown eyes narrowed in faux distrust, “You are and I’ll prove it.” 

This time, Obi-Wan did let out a snicker, folding his hands innocently together under his chin, “Good luck, my dear Commander. The day you prove that is the day I owe you another drink.”

“I get enough of Crash’s moonshine,” Cody retorted, leaning back in his own chair. 

Humming, Obi-Wan grinned. “Yes, well, I’m talking about the kind that won’t burn your insides out. I’ve had some of his moonshine as well and it is a bit rough to handle. This,” he said, knocking on his glass, “Is what I mean.” 

“And only if I prove you’re cheating?”

“Oh, no, certainly I’ll owe you a drink for many things, but I’ll give you a whole bottle if you can prove I am.”

“Fine, deal.” 

Cody had slowly relaxed around him, just as Obi-Wan remembered. They certainly weren’t as far along as they had been in his timeline but… growth took time. It wouldn’t be automatic. He couldn’t expect that from Cody when Obi-Wan was the only one with years of experience and history. 

There was another thing eating away at Obi-Wan that he couldn’t remember asking. It almost felt dangerous to ask. He was afraid that if he did it would break the subtle stillness of the moment, the peace of the two together. 

“Cody, do you have plans after the war?” 

Just like that, the ease shattered, and Cody sat up, stiff. 

“I don’t know what you mean, sir,” Cody responded crisply. Hesitantly. The air around him bled with nervousness, anxiety. 

“You know, if you do there’s nothing wrong with it,” Obi-Wan assured, draining the rest of his glass. He placed it back down on the table with a clink. “I’m simply curious if you do or do not.” 

A moment of silence passed between them, Cody’s eyes filling with uncertainty.

“They’re not plans,” Cody finally began, “I have… ideas of what I’d like to do in the future.” 

That… was good, Obi-Wan found. He was happy his Commander would have something in mind. Afterall, this time around Obi-Wan was going to be positive they would all be around to do the things they had planned. He would assure that Cody had a future to live out. 

“What are they, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

There was another beat of silence, and Cody exhaled slowly, swirling his own glass, “Well, honestly, sir, I have no interest in living a life like some of my _vode_ want. Some have talked about moving to a remote planet, starting a farm, others want to start up businesses or invest in their hobbies. For me, this is what I like doing, strategizing, planning, working with you.” 

He wouldn’t have expected less from Cody. The man was dedicated to his role as commander and he certainly seemed to have the talent for it. Cody was one of the most brilliant strategists they had. It wouldn’t make sense for Obi-Wan to encourage him on a different path if this was what he wanted to do. But, still.

“You know you aren’t obligated to stay by my side after all this,” Obi-Wan reminded, softly, his voice careful and steady. 

“I know.”

And, oh, how soft that low timbre was. Oh how his voice filled with such adoration, fondness, care and- Of course? Why hadn’t Obi-Wan seen it before?

“But, sir, I can’t think of any other place I’d rather be than fighting alongside you.” 

\---

The whole Rishi mess had been… well a mess. Construction on a new site had already begun as soon as the team arrived, and Grievous was fleeing once again. It did allow for Obi-Wan to spend more time with Anakin, however.

“You know, Anakin, it’s not wise to take after me.”

“If this is about me sleeping again, Master-”

Flapping his hand at Anakin, he frowned, “Yes, yes, I know. Both you and Commander Cody have adopted this ‘the war never sleeps why should I mentality’ and, well yes, I used to have one, I’m trying to change that. We win nothing by running ourselves ragged.” 

Anakin gave him an odd look. Honestly, why did he look so baffled? 

“Who are you and what have you done with my Master? Obi-Wan? Admitting he doesn’t sleep? That’s a first.” 

Huffing out an annoyed breath, he turned a glare towards Anakin, “It’s certainly _not_ unusual for me to admit I don’t sleep. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

He could feel Anakin’s exasperation and fondness through the Force, and couldn’t help but smile at it.

\---

“I couldn’t save him.” 

The Captain had a detached, cracked air about him despite his calm, steady voice. Guilt, plain and simple to see. 

“Rex, you couldn’t have. From what you told us there was no way to detonate it remotely-” 

“Yeah, but I still should have gotten him out!” 

Survivor’s Guilt. It was something Obi-Wan himself was familiar with. Long hot nights waiting for sandstorms to subside acquainted one with that particular feeling. 

“You got one out, Rex, you did what you could.”

Sighing, Rex lowered his head, bracketing his arms around it as he supported it with his knees. 

“Yeah- I guess- yeah, you’re right.” Rex responded, almost too quiet to hear. He cleared his throat and lifted his head, “Cody’s on his way back.”

Obi-Wan was a little embarrassed by how easily that made him smile, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of his Commander returning did in fact bring him joy, “Glad to hear it. And Rex, anytime you need to talk, about anything, comm me.”

Rex nodded, sending him a grateful look and ending the transmission. 

Honestly, Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how he would continue on fighting. Sure, he would fight against Palpatine, the Order, the chips. But the actual Clone Wars again? Knowing all of it was a farce? That would be his biggest challenge. Though, noting when his Commander's presence join the rest of the 212th aboard the ship, he supposed he could fight to protect the men who cared for him. 

\---

He very nearly snapped at the first Council meeting he visited since traveling back. While it was great to see his friends, his family, once again, it was hard to face them knowing what became of them. It was hard, when all they shoved down were suspicions and deceit, . When they criticized Anakin for his attachment to Ahsoka. Obi-Wan was successful in keeping his cool for the most part, until one of the Councilors had said something particularly derogatory about the- _the clones._ Everyone used that word so liberally, so if that’s what defined them. 

Clones. 

Nothing more than simple copies of a man. Nothing more than property the Republic, _a Jedi,_ purchased to be used as cannon fodder. How could people not see the wonderful men they were? He had felt it, that day on Utapau, all the men he was familiar with twist into something foreign, dark and dangerous. And then the whole world plunged into the dark, with the Empire there to curl the galaxy in it’s palm and not let it go.

Yet- He couldn’t. He still couldn’t show his anger. The others would criticize him just as they did Anakin. So, he slipped on the mask of being the perfect Jedi once again. It wouldn’t do well to play his hand right then and there. 

“Master Kenobi, something to say do you?” Yoda finally spoke up from his seat. The Grandmaster had been strangely quiet the whole meeting, only talking when he was forced to break up an argument. 

“No.” 

“Hm. Adjourned, this meeting is.” 

Obi-Wan was beyond thrilled to get out of there, away from the many faces of ghosts that had haunted him on sleepless nights. He had a second chance to save his family, to help them find their way again. Make things better for him, Anakin, the _vode_ and the Council. 

He stopped short, pausing in the middle of the hallway. Ghosts. Huh.

As quick as he could, he raced back off to his rooms in the temple. He hadn’t been in them for so long but yet they felt like coming home. So much of his life had been spent there, it felt nice to return and drop down onto his meditation mat. 

Over the past few weeks he had better adjusted to letting himself fall completely into the Force. Meditation had always brought him a sense of peace, a place where things were easier to process and the world didn’t seem so suffocating. But on Tatooine, it had been devoid of the presences of other Jedi, only Luke who had shone even brighter than Anakin, despite his age. He knew Luke would one day grow into a powerful Jedi. Well. Would have.

Obi-Wan shoved that thought aside, breathing in deep and letting go. His eyes fluttered shut as he exhaled, expanding his senses out to the outskirts of the temple. There were younglings down in the creche, Councillors still mingling around in the Council Chambers. One healer seemed particularly agitated down in the Halls of Healing. 

Then-

There it was, faint, oh so faint, lingering around the tree outside the temple. When he nudged it, it nudged back surprised, before following the trail Obi-Wan lead it down to him. 

“Obi-Wan.” 

The voice filtered in through his senses, filling him whole. It came from everywhere and nowhere. But it was unmistakably his. Obi-Wan had only spoken to him once, on Tatooine, despite all the attempts Qui-Gon had made to speak with him.

“Qui-Gon,” he said aloud. 

His master’s voice was grave, “You’re a long way from Tatooine.” 

Well, now, that was surprising. Was Qui-Gon aware that Obi-Wan didn’t belong in this time?

As if sensing his thoughts, and he probably was knowing the old Jedi, he answered, “Death exists outside of time. I am both within and without the flow of time. But I’m more interested in how you got here.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, drawing back his focus to the one room, honing in on Qui-Gon. 

“It isn’t important how I am here. It’s important that I am here. I’ll be honest, I contacted you to see if I could at this time.”

“For advice?”

“Heavens, no, I’m much older than, well, you were when you died. If anything I have more experience than you, I’ve lived through everything. I might not have all the answers but I have a plan. No, I was simply curious.” 

There was a hint of annoyance in Qui-Gon’s response, “So you tried to speak with me, for the first time in ten years, because you ‘were curious’?”

“Yes.” 

Honestly, it wasn’t as if Qui-Gon could help. He knew that Qui-Gon had cared for him, in his own way, but it was never what Obi-Wan needed. Just like how Obi-Wan hadn’t cared for Anakin the way Anakin needed. He was far too late in the game to completely reverse that, but maybe he could undo some of the damage. 

Suddenly, Qui-Gon’s presence vanished. Not...dead but away from that room at least. Well, Obi-Wan mused opening his eyes once again, he must have gotten Qui-Gon upset. But then again, that wasn’t anything new. 

\--

“Master Obi-Wan?” 

Ahsoka’s timid voice rang through the courtyard where Obi-Wan was flitting between the plants in the Temple Gardens. Thankfully they seemed to be the only two there, so they weren’t disturbing anyone. The temple these days did tend to be empty. Most Masters, Knights, and Padawans were off fighting in the war. The younglings trained with the few Jedi too old to fight. Still, the temple was home in a way. 

“Ahsoka!” He greeted warmly, smiling at her. She was still so young and different from the wise woman she had grown up to be when he last saw her. “What can I do for you?” 

She grinned back, before shifting back on her heels, “I was wondering if you’d like to join me and Skyguy at Dex’s? He would have come himself but he’s a little preoccupied. We were going to head over in two hours.” 

Oh, Obi-Wan certainly knew what had Anakin preoccupied and from the roll of Ahsoka’s eyes she knew too. A certain senator would also be a little busy at the moment. 

Though more surprising was Ahsoka asking him to go with them both. Anakin usually went without bothering to ask. Obi-Wan remembered days on Coruscant spent alone in his room. Maybe, maybe this was a step in the right direction. Their relationship did seem to be mending rather than falling apart, ever since Obi-Wan started comming Anakin only for social calls and vice versa. 

He would gladly join them both in a heartbeat, all they had to do was ask. 

So Obi-Wan happily agreed, chatting with Ahsoka about different topics until it was time to leave. 

“So Skyguy says you introduced him to this diner when he was your Padawan. How did you find it?” Ahsoka asked, breaking the easy banter that Obi-Wan and Anakin had been giving each other. 

Dex’s had been interesting. Many assume Qui-Gon had shown him this place, but in truth he had found it on it’s own. Qui-Gon just happened to know of it as well. Obi-Wan didn’t have many friends but Dex was one he knew he could count on. 

“I would say luck but there’s no such thing as luck on-”

“‘Only the Force,’” Anakin quoted, groaning, “Yes, Obi-Wan we know. Snips I don’t think you’re going to get a straight answer out of him. Even _I_ don’t know the story.”

Obi-Wan could only give a toothy grin in response, sipping from his milkshake he had ordered. Ahsoka and Anakin easily slipped back into an excited conversation while he was content to sit back and enjoy the moment with his family. 

This, this is why he would keep fighting. This is what he would protect. This was his reason to live and fight and ensure the safety of a better future. His family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> might try to get the next chapter out by next week


	5. Moving Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uwu rex gets to bond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for how late this chapter is, as you can see i've been doing a lot of writing but Not For This and its because I was stuck on it for a while? And I was really inspired to write other shit but ! i'm back baby. I'm gonna try to update once a month

Rex sighed, looking out into the small room at his  _ vode’ike _ . Hardcase was surrounded by cans of paint, a few brushes, and chest plates. Jesse was over in the corner with Kix, trying to figure out how to make the tattoo gun work, while Hevy, Fives and Echo were piled in the corner, fast asleep. The sight warmed his heart, a small simple moment of peace and happiness. It was a nice break after the whole… droid rescue. Honestly, Rex had never been fond of that droid, much less eager to rescue it. But he supposed anything for his General. 

Hevy was… a snorer. Which shouldn’t have surprised him, but it almost added to the comfort of the room.

“SHIT!” Kix yelped, backing away from Jesse and the tattoo gun. Hardcase had already trimmed Kix’s hair down, allowing the room for the tattoo. 

“Kix I’m so sorry-”

Hardcase’s head shot up, narrowing his eyes playfully. Snapping, he demanded, “Shut up, the shinies are sleeping, and I'm working.” 

Rex couldn’t help the snort that escaped him at the comment, “You know Hardcase, you all are shinies still too.”

“Yeah, well, they’re babier shinies.” 

Hardcase then stuck out his tongue childishly before going back to his work. He was painting thin stripes and a dot on his chest plate, similar to the one on his face. Ink had already done Hardcase’s tattoo but had been pulled away from other duties. 

One of Fives’ eyes blinked open, fixing Rex with a sleep stare. “Hey, Cap,” he mumbled, nuzzling back into Echo’s side. Hevy was curled up on top of the two, with Echo pressed against the wall. “You should… come over here. Take a nap you look exhausted.” 

In all honesty, Rex had lost sleep for so many nights since arriving back. Mainly because he had been so focused on planning out what to do with Obi-Wan, but also because it felt… strange to be back. It had already been a few months, but it was still all new to him. 

“I’m alright,  _ vod _ ,” Rex answered softly, smiling when Hevy rolled over, snuggling into Fives’ chest. 

Rex received no response, but got up to stretch from where he was sitting against crates. Just as he was about to walk out, Ink scurried back into the room, making a beeline for Jesse and Kix. The tattoo artist was frantic, scolding the two for improper use of the supplies. Rex had to hold back a chuckle, but an idea popped into his head. Previously he had gotten no tattoos, as he had never seen the need to. 

He would get something to remember his past life, to remember the crew on the  _ Ghost _ . To remember the rebellion. Yes, the symbol of the Rebellion would do nicely. Above it he would have  _ Ghost _ inscribed. Simple, plain, but meaningful. 

“You can’t start tattooing without sterilizing first!” Ink hissed, smacking Kix and Jesse upside the head. “And you shouldn’t try using this without me!” 

The trooper moved back to his station, placing down the gun. He quickly wiped everything down before sliding a chair over and forcing Kix down into it. The tattoo artist continued muttering to himself as he set up the reference sheet, shifted Kix’s head to the right position, and started where Jesse left off. Ink’s lines were much smoother and straighter than Jesse’s, which, well. Ink was their resident artist, after all. Maybe second to Hardcase, who had gotten so engrossed in his armour painting he hadn’t looked up at the commotion. 

Rex stepped up into the space next to Jesse, watching as Kix would wince every so often at a particularly painful prick. Jesse only glanced up at him, and it was strange seeing the trooper without his usual Republic Cog. At least some things never change, as both Kix and Jesse were planning on getting their same tattoos. 

“I’ve known Kix since we’ve been decanted,” Jesse started, “he’s always been the responsible one between us. I just find it hilarious he’s getting this as a dare.” 

Shrugging, Rex grinned at him, “What can I say we  _ vode  _ don't take dares lightly.”

Jesse snorted, crossing his arms against his chest plate, “Something we all got from Prime, I’m betting?”

It was odd, sometimes, to hear the younger ones refer to Jango as ‘Prime’. It was easy to forget that the rest of the CT’s had a wildly different relationship to Jango than the CC’s and Rex. For Rex, he wouldn’t go so far as to consider Jango  _ Buir _ , but well. It was pretty damn close. He knew Cody admired the man and was so much like him in so many ways. 

“Yeah,” Rex muttered, watching as Kix finally was set free, bandage pressed to his head against the angry welts of the ink. 

Carefully, the medic in training backed away with a suspicious look towards Ink. Ink glared at him until he backed away fully, scrambling over to the cuddle pile that had already begun. He shifted himself near the edge, leaning lightly against Fives. Instantly, the (ARC) trooper’s arms shifted, pulling Kix closer.

Ink sighed, taking the needle out and throwing it into a small bag. The bag already held several needles, all from the  _ vode _ he had visited before. Carefully, he picked a new one up with his gloved hand, sliding it in before grabbing a wipe. He cleaned it carefully before turning to the two remaining  _ vode _ . 

“Which one of you is next?”

Jesse took a step back, eyeing the artist with apprehension. Rolling his eyes, Rex stepped forward, shucking off his pauldron and armour in order to get to the zipper of his blacks. He carefully angled his arms in order to unzip the top part, letting it dangle at his waist. Sliding into the chair, he grinned up at Jesse who watched him in awe. 

Ink only huffed, sanitizing the needle with a wipe, tossing it in the trash and grabbing another. “Where do you want this? What are you looking for?”

Rex thought about it for a moment, thought about to go about this. He rummaged around in his utility belt, pulled out a sheet of flimsi, and doodled out the Rebellion crest, writing  _ Ghost _ about it. When he finished, Rex handed it back to Ink, indicating that he wanted it on his shoulder. 

“Can do, Cap,” Ink muttered.

The cloth was cold against his skin as it cleaned the area. It made him shiver slightly, unused to something wet and cold brushing against his skin. That was the only warning he got before the tattoo gun pricked at his skin, laying down the first ink. It carried on for a while, but Rex tuned it out. This wasn’t even as painful as Kix had made it seem.

He let his mind drift, focusing on the fact that he had saved Hevy, that his  _ vode  _ was here and he wouldn’t lose them again. It’s easy to remember the last time Rex saw them, Jesse right before the star destroyer crashed, Kix acting dodgy before he disappeared, Echo saluting as he stood with the Bad Batch, Fives trying to warn them about the chips, Hardcase as he took off in ships on Umbara. Hevy- Hevy had been the first, sacrificing himself to save all of Kamino. 

“Alright,” Ink finally said, applying a bandage to the area. “Leave that on for a few days and then you should be all set.”

It tingled slightly, a small burn to it that would no doubt stick for a few days, but other than that it didn’t hurt. Rex didn’t feel any different, but now, now he had a reminder of what he had come from. 

Jesse approached them cautiously, sliding into the seat Rex had vacated. Not bothering to stick around for it, Rex made his way over to where Hardcase was still working on his chest plate, painstakingly painting on the thing lines and dots. Sliding in beside the younger clone, Rex leant against the wall and closed his eyes. 

* * *

The knock at his door was honestly welcome. While he was only a captain, and didn’t have as much paperwork as Cody, he hated the drudgery of it. He was suited more for the battlefield, for war. Not this. 

With a groan, he hauled himself out of the chair, letting his bones pop as he made his way over to the door. He punched in the code and was met with the sight of Ahsoka standing timidly. 

“Commander?” He asked, blinking down at her. It was still so strange seeing her alive, seeing her so short compared to the last time he saw her, tall and proud and the perfect example of what a Jedi should be, even if she didn’t consider herself one.

“Rex! Can I come in?” she greeted, cheerfully. Her childish optimism always made him smile, but he knew when that would fade, and he would hate seeing it happen again. 

He let her in, shuffling some of the flimsi away from the space in front of his spare chair. Eventually, he gave up and just shoved it all in the third chair at the table, trying to follow the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. 

“What can I do for you?” he asked her, satisfied with his way to procrastinate. 

She fidgeted, rocking onto her heels as she asked, “I was… wondering if you wanted to spar?”

That wasn’t the first time in his memory she had asked him, but it was the first time in this timeline. Ahsoka was adorable like this, like a shiny, and he was glad once again to play the role of  _ ori’vod _ . And she was his  _ vod’ika _ . No matter what timeline they were in, no matter where he had been, or what she had done. No matter what, she would always be his  _ Aliit _ . 

“You really want to go against me, rookie?” he teased, but was already moving towards the door. 

She gasped in offense, punching him lightly in the back of the shoulder, “I’m  _ not _ a rookie.” 

“Sounds like something a rookie would say.”

“You’ll see who’s a rookie,” she yelled, “when I’m wiping the floor with you.” 

He only laughed in response. 

* * *

“I think I’m going to try and slowly bring it up to the council.” 

Rex took another bite of his ration bar, keeping his legs propped up on the table. Obi-Wan had been rambling for the past half hour about this and that, and Rex had been more than happy to listen. It was odd hearing about Luke, especially after just learning about him. But, Rex supposed, if you were from a different timeline, you would want someone there to talk to about it. Rex was that someone, so he was fine with letting Obi-Wan have the space he needed to talk about it. 

“That’s a good idea,” Rex offered back, around a mouth full of food. He looked up from his datapad where they had begun planning ideas. “I think you might want to get them suspicious of Palpatine.” 

“Oh they’re  _ well  _ on their way down that path,” Obi-Wan said, a dry sort of humor to his voice. There was bitterness laced with it. “It’s all they talk about at meetings now, for the most part. I’ve been trying to broach other subjects, but one Councilor is quite adamant on talking about the Chancellor. It’s to the point where I’d like to bring up topics that matter as well, so we can maintain today even if we’re trying to save tomorrow.”

Rex nodded, nibbling on the bar before glancing up. Obi-Wan had one hand on his beard, the other supporting that arm. The  _ Jetti  _ was lost in thought, thinking so painfully that Rex could almost see it.

“But being suspicious of Palpatine is good, right?”

“Yes, but not for this one Councilor’s reasons. It’s all speculation at this point, Palpatine doesn’t have all of his emergency powers yet. I don’t think there’s a way of stopping that, but if we could somehow get those to happen sooner…” Obi-Wan hummed, trailing off before shaking his head. “No, I think we’re on a good path. Mending relationships, righting horrible wrongs, and trying to unseat the Chancellor.” 

Rex seriously hoped the line was secure. He wouldn’t want their whole operation to be found out before they could get anywhere. Palpatine was always one step ahead in the first timeline, he could only assume it would be the same here.

“We should try to be discreet,” he offered, his eyebrows raising at the incredulous look Obi-Wan gave him. “We should! Palpatine is a Sith Lord. We don’t want to alert him to this, and besides, who’s to say he doesn’t already know?”

“You… have a fair point,” Obi-Wan responded back with a sigh. There was a knock on Obi-Wan’s end, and the  _ Jetti _ looked up. “I’m afraid I have to go, Captain. I shall speak to you next week?”

“Yep,” Rex answered. 

“Goodbye my friend.”

Rex saluted and shut the holo off.

* * *

The nights on Coruscant often were warm. Even in Coruscant's “winter”. It was due to the exhaust from the lower levels, the energy off the speeders in the air. The fact that they were so close to the ozone layer, it barely blocked anything anymore.  Yet there was always a bit of a chill to it, the wind sweeping through the streets, the flyways, open windows. Rustling over soft pink gowns, purple robes, and blue drapes. The chill seemed to follow in one direction, leading to a dark empty space in the Force. Red and black wardrobe dripping off an old and frail looking form. 

“My master,” a gravelly voice greeted. Count Dooku kneeled in the hologram, head bowed in respect.

Sidious didn’t bother turning to face him, staring out into the city-planet, the homeworld of the Republic, and soon to be the home-world of his Empire. 

“You’ve felt it, haven’t you my apprentice. The disturbance in the Force,” Palpatine clarified, letting his words drip with sickly honey. Dooku was merely a pawn for him, still, he had to act and make sure his apprentice wouldn’t catch on to that. 

“Yes, Master,” Tyrannus responded, standing up straight. “Almost three months ago, but it’s only spiked now.” 

“Yes.” 

They fell into silence for a moment. 

“What does it mean, my lord?”

“It means,” Palpatine began, smile scary in the blackness of the night, “Something is about to change.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr is crablad uwu hope you liked !

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @ clonebabes I also have a link to a clone wars server on there


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